No Strings Attached
by Red-Dragon411
Summary: The team had just lost their patient and each doctor blamed themselves for her death. This will eventually lead to something happening among the team. This happens before the arrival of Stacey and the issue of ChaseCameron. Eventually HouseCameron
1. Where Am I?

Disclamier: Not mine, so don't sue. 

No Strings Attached

Chapter 1

The sun was shining brightly through his closed eyelids. He groaned a bit before turning over to grab his bottle of Vicodin on the nightstand. With his eyes still closed, he reached over, his hand felt around looking for the familiar bottle when his hand found something. It was soft and…lacy?

_'What the hell is this? I don't own anything that's lacy.'_

As his last thought crossed his mind, he suddenly realized what it was. His eyes popped open and he quickly sat up. His head pivoted towards the nightstand. Sure enough, lying on the nightstand was a red lacy bra. His eyes slowly examined the room.

_'Where am I? This isn't my bedroom. It's too girly. This room would fit somebody like C--'_

His thoughts wasn't even finished when he looked over at the person, sleeping next to him. Lying under the covers on her side, her hair fell from the side of her head, covering her face. Even with her face half covered with hair, he knew who it was.

_'It couldn't be. It can't be. How? How did this happen?'_ he asked himself as the events from the night before come rushing back to him.

* * *

When they had rushed into her room, it was too late. The attending doctor was already recording the time of death into the file. By the time they figured out the problem and pinpointed to where it was at, it was in her autopsy report. The loss of their patient affected every single one of them. They each blamed themselves for missing that tumor in her brain. So now, the four doctors are lost in their own little world.

In the conference room, Foreman is just sitting at one end of the table, staring off into space. Chase was at the other end of the table, trying to occupy himself with a crossword puzzle. Cameron was nowhere to be seen. In the office connected to the conference room, House was there, twirling his cane. He was reviewing the case for the hundredth time. He couldn't see how they missed the tumor in her brain. All of her symptoms pointed to a tumor, but they just couldn't figure out where. By the time they had figure it out, it was too late.  
It wasn't just the fact that he had missed the tumor but also the fact that he lied. He lied to the patient. He promised her that he would make her better so she could play with her siblings and friends. _'It was all a lie,'_ he thought.

He wanted to hide from Cuddy who was badgering him about his clinic duties, yet again. So he decided to hide in the place where he thought nobody would bother to look for him…his patient's room.

After he had beat his game for the twentieth time, he was bored. So he decided to check her heart monitors to see if the treatment was working. He thumped over to her bedside to check the monitors when she suddenly woke up. She smiled at him so sweetly that he thought that his stone heart would crack. She had asked him if she would be alright soon to play with her friends. She had missed her friends. He stared at her, not knowing what to do. Her smile got broader as she waited for his answer. All he could bring himself to do was nod.

* * *

Shaking his head, he leaned back into his chair. He spun his chair around and stared out the window. Dark clouds were gathering. The sky was gloomy at 2 in the afternoon. A storm was coming. _'The perfect weather to match the mood,'_ House thought.

At that moment, Wilson walked in the office. He turned his head towards the conference room where Foreman was still staring off into space and Chase was biting his pencil down to wood chips. At that point, Cameron walked in the conference room. She walked straight towards the sink and start making the coffee. Wilson noticed that her eyes were puffy. Chase and Foreman didn't moved a muscle. He turned his head back towards House. House still didn't seem to notice that Wilson was in the room.

"Do you want to go get a drink?" Wilson asked quietly.

Only then did House noticed that Wilson was in the room. He turned his chair around and got up without saying anything. House was out of the door before Wilson could even comprehend what had happened. Wilson poked his head into the conference room, breaking the silence and tension.

"Hey. So..uh..do you guys want to come with me and House to get a drink? You guys could use--." Wilson didn't even finish his sentence when all three of the ducklings gathered up their stuff and clambered out of the room. Wilson looked after them, shook his head and sighed. _'It's going to be a long night,'_ he thought.

Author's Note: Not a oneshot.


	2. I Never

Chapter 2

When the five reached the bar, they found it to be crowded with doctors and nurses. The bar, after all, was closest to the hospital and it is Friday. They wanted to drown away their problems too.

Wilson had found them a booth in the corner of the bar where they could see everything. Foreman slid in first on one side of the booth followed by Cameron and Chase. Wilson slid in the other side followed by House. House took advantage of the extra space by resting his leg on top of it. A waitress came over and they each mumbled their orders.

After about 4 rounds for each person, they began to relax a bit. Wilson told a joke that they actually laughed to. House even had the smallest tinge of a smile on his lips. They had about 6 drinks in them when Foreman had an idea. He suggested that they play 'I Never.' All the guys, even surprisingly House, wanted to play it but Cameron refused. After much persuasion, Cameron agreed. Since it was Foreman's idea, he went first.

"Let's see…okay. Got one," Foreman said. "I never got any kind of piercing before."

Everyone looked at Cameron as she downed her drink. "What?" Cameron asked.

"You got a body piercing?" House asked.

"Yeah," she said slowly.

"Well, can we see it?" Chase asked.

Cameron sighed and muttered something that sounded like "boys and their body piercings" before standing up and lifting up her shirt. All the guys' dropped open when they saw a Cameron's dangling belly ring.

"Well, at least I know what to get you for Christmas," House said. "I can get you a tetanus shot."

Everybody started laughing as Cameron rolled her eyes at House. Then it was Wilson's turn.

"This is easy. I already had one figured out. I never had had sex on an airplane," Wilson said.

House scoffed. "You're lying. You probably sneaked off when your wife's sleeping and got some 'service' from a stewardess," House said. Everybody laughed again. This time, it was Wilson who rolled his eyes. Cameron shocked everyone again as she drank her shot.

All the guys stared at her. "What? It was spring break! I was on my way to Florida when I met a cute guy who sat across the aisle from me. We started talking and the next thing I know…," Cameron blushed at this point as the guys burst out laughing.

House leaned back against his side of the booth as he studies Cameron. In the last fifteen minutes, his perspective of Cameron changed. He used to thought that she was just a girl with a doctor's degree that has a high school crush on her boss. He thought that she was uptight and serious as one could get. What he discovered about her surprised him. At work she seemed timid and frail. Outside of work, she seems confident of herself. Outgoing and open-minded. He was beginning to like this new side of Cameron.

Wilson noticed that House was staring Cameron. He nudged House with his elbow and whispered to House, "Told you that you shouldn't have said 'No' to her. I knew that she had a wild side to her."

As Wilson continued to whisper more things to House, from the other side of the booth Cameron was examining House. She pretended to be occupied with talking to Chase and Foreman but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that House was looking at her. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze but at same time, it felt good to have his attention on her. She turned her head and looked straight into his eyes, when Foreman and Chase were talking to each other. She saw that he had something in his eyes.

'Is it desire? Passion? What causes that spark of fire in his eyes?' Cameron thought when Chase interrupted her thoughts.

"Isn't it House's turn now?" Chase asked. Both House and Cameron felt relieved that Chase interrupted their staring contest. House was about to lunged across the table and pull Cameron into a fiery kiss while Cameron was about to burst out saying something stupid.

House thought for a minute before saying something. "I never…had something tattooed before."

Cameron, for the third time in less than half an hour, surprised everyone. She called the waitress over and ordered more drinks. While she was waiting for her orders, the guys asked her all types of questions.

"Where is it? When did you get it? What's the picture of? Can we see it?" the guys asked. They bombarded her with all types of questions. She replied, "I'll answer your questions when we get the drinks."

As they wait for their drinks Wilson, Chase, and Foreman conversed on Cameron's tattoo. They were making wild guesses and Cameron just smiled at them, not replying. House was staring at Cameron once more. Cameron stared right back. She had a playful smile on her lips. His eyes widen slightly and he felt his lips twitched a bit upwards.

They were still staring at each other when their drinks arrived. Unable to contain his eagerness, Chase said, "Our drinks are here now, Cameron. You promised us that you'll let us see it. Show it to us," he demanded.

Cameron just smiled at Chase. "To answer Foreman, I got it when I was sixteen. The answer to Chase's question is that it's on the lower left side of my back. For Wilson's question, the tattoo is a picture of tiger crouching along the grass." When she was finished, she drank her shot.

The guys were still staring at her expectantly. "What?" she asked.

"The tattoo? Can we see it?" House asked impatiently. "Wait. Let me rephrase that. May we see it?"

Surprised by his demands, she smiled and said, "No, you may not see it." The guys all groaned their protests, even House who had a slight pout on his face. All Cameron did was just laughed at their objections.

"Now I don't want to play anymore. Cameron ruined it. I'm leaving," House said as he stood up.

"I should leave too. Julie's waiting for me at home," Wilson said, as he also stood up. Chase, Cameron, and Foreman all slid out their seats following their boss's and his friend's lead. When Cameron got out, she stumbled a bit. House rolled his eyes as Foreman and Chase held her up.

"This is why I didn't want to play. I always end up drunk because I did things that most of my friends wouldn't even dream of," Cameron said.

"So Little Miss Perfect has done some…wild things?" House asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Even though Cameron was drunk, she didn't miss the hidden meaning behind his remark.

"I may appear quiet at work, but nobody really knows what I'm like outside of work," she replied, smirking.

Chase, Foreman, and Wilson watched the exchange between the two with raised eyebrows. Chase and Foreman looked at Wilson with a look that begged the question 'Does he like her?' that Wilson replied with a nod and a grin. When Chase's and Foreman's questions were confirmed, they had a difficult time controlling their laughter in front of their boss.

Chase, Foreman, Wilson, and Cameron were surprised when House offered to take Cameron home. "I don't trust any of you to take her home. You two," he pointed to Chase and Wilson, "will take advantage of her. Foreman on the other hand won't do that."

Foreman was about to express his thanks when House said, "Foreman would leave her in some dark alleyway while he go rob a bank." When he said that, House earned a death glare from Foreman.

House continued, "I, on the other hand, am a gentleman." House paused when the others scoffed at his remark. "I will not take advantage of her. I will take her home. Now who here objects?" Everybody, except House, raised their hands.

"Think about it. Wilson has a wife that's waiting for him at home. Chase is weaker than Cameron so there's no way he can carry her up the two flight of stairs. Foreman has a girlfriend that I think would mind if he's carrying somebody other than her to their bed. I'm the only one left so unless she's sober enough to walk home, I'll take her home. Is there any objection now?"

Wilson raised his hand. "In case you haven't noticed, you have a bad leg! How the heck are you going to carry her up two flight of stairs?"

"I'll manage," House replied. Before anybody else could say anything, House was supporting Cameron out the door and into the cool the night air. 


	3. Sleeping Over

Chapter 3

Cameron was drunk but she knew what was going on around her. She had stood there, being supported by Chase and Foreman in the bar, when House offered to take her home. At first she thought that she was hallucinating because, after all, she is drunk. She soon realized that it was not a hallucination, it was real. She came to this conclusion when the support from Chase and Foreman were gone and was replaced by House's strong arms. He had his arm around her waist to keep her from falling. She felt him lead her out of the bar and towards his car. He let her lean against him as her took his keys out of his pocket and opened the door. He slowly set her down on the passenger side and once she was settled, he closed the door.

He walked over to the driver's side and got in. He put the keys in the ignition and bolted out the parking space before anybody could blink. On the way to her apartment, he stole glances at the sleeping Cameron. She was leaning her head on the side window, the side of her face pressed against the glass.

_'What is wrong with me? Why did I offer to take her home? I'll just put her down to bed then I'll leave,'_ he thought.

When they reached her apartment, he got out of the car and walked over to the passenger's side. When he opened the door, Cameron nearly fell out of her seat and onto the ground if House hadn't catch her just in time. He forgot to wake her up so she was still leaning against the door. When he opened it, she nearly fell out her seat.

He supported her with his arm around her waist before heading towards her apartment building. He stepped into the elevator in the lobby and pressed the number 2. He smiled to himself. _'They actually thought that I'd carry Cameron up two flights of stairs? They're nuts! They'll think I'm a god because I was able to carry her up two flights of stairs with a bad leg!'_

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. He walked out of the elevator and made a left. It was funny that he remember her apartment. _'The last time I came here was to get her to come back and she forced me out on a date. Hope it won't happen again this time.'_ When he reached her apartment number, he let her leaned against the door as he grabbed her shoulders and shook her slightly.

"Wake up. Unless you want to sleep in the hallway, I suggest you take your keys out and open the door," House said. Cameron groaned in response. She made no move towards getting her keys. He sighed. "You better not misinterpret this as something else," House muttered under his breath as he searched her pant pockets for her keys.

As he searched her pockets, he unintentionally rubbed up against Cameron's exposed skin between the hem of her blouse and the waist of her pants. She uttered a slight moan as he continued his search for her keys. _'I hope I would find the keys soon because I don't think I can stand her looking like this any longer,'_ he thought to himself. Indeed Cameron did look innocent yet mischievous at the same time as she leaned against her door, her back arched in the air. Her slightly swollen lips were slightly parted as air pass in and out of her mouth. Her eyes were still closed. House fought an irresistible urge to taste her lips.

House breathed a sigh of a mixture of relief and disappointment when he found her keys at last. Relief because his bad leg was starting to cramp and because of the way Cameron looked. Disappointment because he wanted to look at Cameron a little longer.

Using the keys, he quickly opened the door. They both stumbled into her dark apartment. Light from the hallway shone around the two figures and illuminated the room. With Cameron leaning on him for support, he slowly groped the walls for the light switch. At last he found it, and flipped the switch on.

When the light came on, he wasn't surprised by what he saw. Her living room was tidy with magazines piled neatly on top of her coffee table. Shelves overflowed with books and medical journals. Photos of Cameron and her family were on the mantle. He slowly guided her towards the couch and set her down. He slowly looked around her living room, unsure of what to do next. Looking down at Cameron, he realized that he should let her sleep on her bed so she would be more comfortable. He picked Cameron up again and lead her down her hallway leading to her bedroom.

He opened the door and flipped the light switch by the door on. Her lamps on her nightstands illuminated the room. It cast a red tinge on the walls. Even with the light on, the room was still dark so he couldn't make out every detail. He set her down on her large bed and took off her shoes. _'I'm not undressing her. She can sleep in those clothes tonight.'_ He then covered her up with a blanket. Once he was done, he perched down on the edge of her bed, peering at her.

Her brows were a little furrowed. The sides of her mouth pointed somewhat downwards. Faint wrinkles formed on her forehead. She was muttering something under her breath that House couldn't hear. He glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was around one in the morning. _'Is it that late already? I should go, I'm beat.'_

He stood up to leave when Cameron's arms snatched his left forearm. "Don't…don't leave me, House…House," Cameron muttered. House noticed that her eyes were still closed. She was having a dream about him. _'No doubt that it's a dream about that "fateful" date,'_ he contemplated.

He tried pulling his arm away from her grasp but she held onto him tightly. It was as if she was holding on for dear life. Giving into the struggle, he had no choice but to spend the night in Cameron's bed. He placed his bottle of Vicodin on the nightstand, kicked off his shoes, and climbed into bed while Cameron was still holding onto his arm.

As soon as his head hit the pillow, Cameron rolled over and laid her head next to his with her left arm sprawled across his chest. It was as if her unconscious mind wanted to do that for a long time. House laid there, basking in the body heat of another person. It had been so long since he had shared a bed with someone. He resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her body. He breathed a sigh and closed his eyes.

* * *

House was still sitting up in the bed. He was relieved that nothing had happened between him and Cameron. _'But wait? What about her bra? How do you explain that?'_ House was beginning to suspect that something did happen but he couldn't remember whether or not it did. His thoughts were interrupted when Cameron moaned a bit and slowly opened her eyes. Cameron had a dream that she was in bed with the one she loves. It wasn't the face of her husband, but it was the face of someone familiar. His face was hazy but she felt comforted nevertheless.

She smiled softly to herself as she opened her eyes. She stopped smiling when she realized that perhaps it wasn't a dream. Somebody was sitting in her bed, staring at her. Her eyes were still grimy from her sleep but she knew who that lanky form belonged to. His piercing blue eyes confirmed that as her eyes came into focus. It belonged to none other than her boss, Dr. Gregory House.


	4. What Now?

Chapter 4

House saw Cameron's eyes widen as she look up at him. She quickly sat up and covered herself with the blanket. House smirked at Cameron.

"What the hell are you grinning at, House? Are you happy that you took advantage of me when I was drunk?" When Cameron said that, House's shoulders shook with laughter.

"I didn't take advantage of poor Cameron. Look down at your body," House pointed to her. She slowly looked down and she saw that the clothes that she was wearing last night was still on her body instead of on the floor. She looked back up at House. "Unless you think that I had sex with you then dress you, I did not sleep with you. Let me repeat, I did not sleep with you." House enunciated the last sentence slowly so she could hear him.

"If we didn't…why were you sleeping in my bed?" Cameron demanded.

"I wanted to go but you grabbed my arm and wouldn't let go. I tried to pull it away, but as you can see, it didn't work. Your unconscious mind is very strong," he said, rubbing his arm for emphasis.

Cameron still looked at him skeptically. House reached over for his Vicodin pills but picked up Cameron's bra instead.

"You know when I first saw this this morning, I thought that something did happen but it didn't," House said as he waved her bra in front of her face. Cameron's face reddened and tried to snatch it away but House held it high above his head and continued. "I was disappointed when I realized that nothing happened," he smirked, winking at her before getting out of bed. He tossed the item back at her. He put his shoes on before walking out of her bedroom.

"Have a good hangover," House said before he left.

* * *

When House got home, he saw that his answering machine had 2 messages, both from Wilson. 

The first one said, "House, are you there? I want to know how the hell you managed to carry Cameron up two flights of stairs with a bad leg. You're not answering you phone so I suppose you're spending the night at her place. I want details later."

Wilson's second message was teasing House. "You are either supporting a hangover or you are actually over at Cameron's house. If it's the latter, be sure to "wrap your present." Ha ha ha ha."

House frowned at his friend's assumption. _'Why does everybody think I like her? I'm attracted to her. What fully functional male would not be?'_ He shook his head, then made his way to his bedroom.

* * *

Cameron was staring dumbfounded at the door where House had previously stood. She was confused as to why he didn't leave. His excuse was that she grabbed his arm and wouldn't let go so he had to spend the night. _'That excuse was full of crap. He could've woke me up so I could let go. I doubt that my grip is that strong when I'm sleeping. I hope I didn't kick his leg in my sleep. Or drool. Or said his name'_

Sighing, she stood up and headed for the bathroom. She needed a hot shower to clear her head. As drops of hot water pour down on her head, her tension relaxed. Her back muscles loosened up as did her mind. She didn't want to think of House anymore so she cleared her mind and tried to think to what happened last night at the bar.

As she reminisced, she felt her hangover coming back. It was dull, throbbing pain that was slowly being eased away by the now cool water of the shower. She got out of the shower and looked in the mirror and she dried her hair. She saw the dark bags under her eyes. Her face was paler than usual but she suspected that it was from the hangover.

Her headache returned so she decided to sleep some more. When she returned to the bed, she saw that House had forgotten his bottle of Vicodin on her nightstand.

* * *

Cameron woke up to the sound of knocking on her front door. Sighing tiredly, she got up from the bed and made her way to the front door. If her mind was clearer, she would've realized that the knock sounded like wood knocking on wood. It was the same sound as the one on the night that House came asking her to come back. 

Without checking her peephole, she opened the door. House was standing there holding a paper bag at his side. They both stared at each other, not sure what to do next.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's Note: Most of chapter 1all the way to mostchapter 3 are flashbacks to the night before. The beginning ofchapter 1 and end of chapter 3 happens the next day. Just wanted to tell you in case people gets confused.


	5. No Strings Attached

Chapter 5

He didn't know what came over him that made him come here. He didn't even have a plausible excuse ready when he raised his cane and knocked on her door. He was half expecting her to ignore the knock, not acknowledge it. So he was taken back when she opened the door, disheveled and shocked.

When she opened the door, he didn't do anything. He just stared at her as she stared at him. They had a staring contest to see who would break the eye contact first. House cleared his throat and looked away.

"I come bearing food," he said, looking back at her as he holds up the paper bag. "I figured that you were too hung over to eat so I took the liberty of ordering some food for you."

Cameron said nothing but continued staring at him. House grew uneasy under her gaze and wanted to squirm. When she finally found her voice and asked, "You ordered food for me?"

"I believe I just said that. Now can I come in or what? Having a cripple standing on his bad leg is not good, you know. Being a doctor, you should know that," he said as he came into her apartment, not waiting for an invitation.

She rolled her eyes as she closed the door behind him. When she turned around, she saw that House had settled himself on her sofa and was flipping through the channels on her television. He stopped on a sports channel.

She came over and sat next to him on the sofa. She sat close enough for him to feel her body heat but not close enough where they would be touching each other, unintentionally or not.

House opened up the bag and took out the take-out containers. "I didn't know what you want so I made some choices for you. And don't think that I'm doing this out of the kindness of my heart," House was interrupted when Cameron tried to stifle a laugh that he chose to ignore. "I'm only here because it seemed that I forgot my bottle of Vicodin here when I left this morning. I came here to retrieve it because you know, I…,uh, kind of need it," he whispered, pointing at his leg.

Cameron rolled her eyes at him. She had a feeling that the reason House gave her wasn't the only reason why he chose to come here, but she decided not to say anything.

"Here, this is for you. I don't know what it is but it looked nasty so I got it just for you," House smirked.

Cameron resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. Instead she opened the container and started eating. For something that did look nasty, it was pretty good.

They sat next to each other on the couch, eating while watching the television. But more than often, they each found themselves to be watching the other out of the corner of their eyes. They each thought that the other was clueless that they were glancing at them.

Once they accidentally reached for the same take-out container. Their fingers touched and sent them bolts of electricity through their bodies. They both withdrew their hand as if they got burned.

Unable to handle the silence any longer, Cameron turned towards House. House pretended not to notice her stare and continued to watch the TV. After a few moments, it started to get on his nerves that he finally turned towards her and demanded, "What are you staring at? I know you are attracted to me, but am I really that handsome? I know I'm no Brad Pitt but in my opinion, I'm much better looking--"

He didn't have time to finish his thought when he felt Cameron's lips on his. It was so soft that at first, House didn't feel it. The softness of her kiss suggested innocence and mischief. After some time of their lips pressed together, House responded by kissing her back firmly.

Cameron was taken back at his response that her lips parted open, allowing House access to her mouth. Their tongues soon became engaged in battle as they search every crevices of the other's mouth. Reluctantly, they soon pulled apart breathing in the air that they were unable to get for the last several minutes.

Cameron leaned in for another passionate kiss when House suddenly backed off. Sensing that something was wrong, she seached his cerulean eyes for answers. In his eyes, she saw conflict and pain.

"Cameron," House started to say, "maybe we should stop. I mean, what are we doing here? If we continue this, how are we going to face each other at work? I personally don't mind because Cuddy and I have flings like this all the time and look at how we act towards each other. But you, on the other hand, would cry every time you look at me. I don't mind if another woman join the 'Crying Over Gregory House Club' but after a while, all the crying starts to get on my nerves. Are you--" He was silenced when she pulled him in another kiss.

When she broke the kiss, she said, "I assure you, this is with no strings attached," before kissing him again.

House's arms slowly wrapped around her slender waist as her arms moved to the back of his neck. He pulled her closer, so close that she was almost straddling his lap. His kisses soon moved away from her mouth and towards her jaw. He descended further and placed kisses on her neck, causing her to moan slightly. He moved back upwards, in search of her slightly swollen lips. They pulled in for another passionate kiss, tongues exploring.

House broke the kiss, but his lips never left hers. Speaking quietly he said, "Shall we move this to the bedroom? I believe my bottle of Vicodin is still in there from last night."

Cameron smirked and stood up, holding onto House's hand. She pulled him down the hallway towards her bedroom. When they reached inside her bedroom, they pulled each other into another kiss before closing the door behind them. Behind closed doors, a clunk can be heard when House dropped his cane to the floor.

* * *

The next morning Cameron woke up to find herself sleeping with her head on House's chest. She slowly turned her head towards Houses's face to see him still sleeping. At the sight of him sleeping peacefully, she knew that she was kidding herself. She was lying to House and herself last night when she said 'no strings attached.' She wanted to feel close to him. 

To her, last night proved to be wonderful. Sudden chills went up her spine as she thought of last night. She was surprised at the gentleness of his touch on her bare skin.They were so attuned to one another's body. She felt uninhibited and carefree.

But as she look up at his face today, she knew that what she wants would never come. House only went along with it because to him, it was a one time deal. To her, it meant more. She wanted a relationship with him. But she now realized that it was impossible. She laid her head back down on his chest and hugged him one last time asshe fought to keep the hot tears from falling from her eyes and onto his chest.

Disclaimer: Not mine.


	6. Never Again?

Chapter 6 

House woke up to the smell of breakfast. Even though he wasn't a breakfast person, the aroma of French toast made him mouth water. He reached over to the night stand and grabbed his bottle of Vicodin. He dispensed two white pills and dry swallowed them. As he waited for them to take affect, he thought back to what happened yesterday.

The thought of Cameron made him somewhat aroused. She was not at all what he imagined her to be like in bed. She was confident and unrestrained. He saw a side of her that nobody else at work saw.

When she said 'no strings attached' last night, he was relieved. He was glad that she knew what to expect going into the deal. Then why did he feel disappointed? Was it because he knew that it was unlikely that another person like Cameron would pursue him? Or was it because he probably won't have another chance to be close to her?

Shaking his head to get rid of his thoughts, he searched for his belongings among the clothes scattered on the bedroom floor. Once he was dressed and retrieved his cane, he made his way out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen.

Cameron was standing at the stove, making omelets. Her back was turned to the doorway so she didn't noticed that House was standing there.

He was leaning against the doorway, observing her. She seemed so peaceful and content making breakfast for two. She even had a hint of a smile on her lips.

He quietly walked up behind her, making sure his cane didn't warn her of his presence. He stood directly behind her and leaned forward, his mouth right beside her ear. Whispering softly he said, "I assume breakfast is your way of saying 'Thank you' for last night."

She jumped when she felt his hot breath blowing next to her ear. She pretended not to notice him and continued with what she was doing. She waited until the omelet was done before sliding it out of the pan and onto a plate, then turned around.

House was leaning on his cane with a smirk on his face. His crystal blue eyes connected with hers for several seconds before moving to the plate of food. Laughing at his hunger, she handed him the plate. He grinned his thanks and turned around, walking towards the living room. Cameron grabbed her own plate before following him.

When she reached the living room, she found House eating while watching television. She settled down right beside him. They ate their breakfast in silence, contemplating what had happened between them. They had no idea how it would effect their work. Cameron was afraid that it would be awkward while House was afraid that Cameron would ask him if he likes her again.

When they finished their breakfast, they sat watching the television in stony silence. Then Cameron had an idea.

"House, I want you to drive me somewhere. Is it okay?"

"Why do I have to drive you somewhere? Can't you just walk there?" House whined.

Cameron rolled her eyes. "It's thirty minutes away. I'm not walking all the way there. But that's okay. If you don't want to go, we could just here and talk."

House was up and at the door before she could even blink. Smiling to herself, she stood up and followed him out the door. Once they were in his car, he laid down some on ground rules. "First of all, no feet on the dashboard. Second, no changing stations on the radio. And third," he added turning his head toward her, "no touching the driver while driving." When he said that, Cameron rolled her eyes again.

He turned the igition on and fiddled with the radio stations for a while before landing on a rock station. They drove in silence except for the occasional directions from Cameron and the songs blaring from the stereos.

When they finally reached the destination, House discovered that it was a park. He looked at her, eyebrows raised.

"I come here a lot to think. The fresh air helps me clear my head. Now can we get out or should we sit here all day?" Cameron said, as she pushed her door open. House sighed and followed suit.

They got out and walked along the pathway. Nobody said anything for a while. House finally asked, "So why did you bring me? Is this one of your fantasies? To bring me here then seduce me in the park?"

Cameron turned to him then said,"You wish. I brought you here because I want you to tell me something about you. Your childhood, your school years, your first love, anything about you."

"Why?"

"Because I don't think you're truly a misanthropist bastard. You shields yourself from the outside world because you've been hurt before. I want to know what made you like this."

"I was always like this. This is my personality from the moment I left my mom's womb. Even if something did affect me, why would I tell you? Besides, you said we don't have to talk if I drive you here. Here we are, and yet we're talking."

Cameron decided not to say anything. An awkward silence surrounded them as they walked. Finally, House spoke up.

"If you must know, I lived with someone once. We lived together for a while then this," he pointed to his leg, "happened. I blamed her for it then we broke up."

"You blamed her for an infarction?"

"No, I blamed her for cutting me up." Silence settled in once more.

They walk the rest of the way in silence. Every once in a while they would comment on the people around them or just on anything that pops into their mind. Darkness soon came. They quickly walked back to the car. The ride home was much like the ride there. House didn't say anything and neither did Cameron.

House surprised them both when he offered to walk Cameron up to her apartment. When they reached her apartment, they stared at each other uncomfortably. They both knew that last night was a one time deal. Yet, they both didn't want it to end.

Then House leaned in for a kiss. Cameron was surprised but responded. Their tongues fought in a war that they didn't want to end. When they ran out of air, they reluctantly pulled away. House stared at his shoes while Cameron fumbled with her keys. They shared one last longing look at each other before House turned around and headed for the elevator.

She leaned her back to the door once it was closed. Hot tears welled up in her eyes. She willed them not to fall but it was no use. One after one, they rolled silently down her cheeks. She slowly slid down against the door until she sat on the floor. She placed her elbows on her bent knees and placed her head down on her arms. She let the tears run freely.

* * *

Meanwhile, House was in his apartment. He was sitting at his piano that was covered with papers and pill bottles. In his left hand, he held a bottle of whiskey that was less than half full. He placed the whiskey bottle on top of the piano then rubbed his face with his hands. He wanted to rub away what happened the night before. There was no way he could was going to sleep tonight.

* * *

Though miles apart, House and Cameron were thinking the same thing. 'No strings attached.'

Discalimer: Not mine.

Author's Note: This happens before Stacey came on and before the issue of Cameron sleeping with Chase. Just wanted to clear that up.


	7. Return of Stacey and a Surprise

Chapter 7

Two weeks had passed had that night. During those two weeks, their behaviors changed. Wilson, Foreman, Chase, and even Cuddy noticed the drastic changes. House became nicer to paitents and to the other doctors. He stopped saying snide remarks to Cameron and everyone noticed that Cameron and House smiled at each other more. Cameron had also spent a lot of time beside House's side but no one had heard him complain about it once. No one knew the real reason behind their changes in their behaviors but they were glad that they didn't have to worry about House's cane smacking their legs anymore. That all changed when _she_ came back.

House was in his office, listening to his Ipod with his feet propped up on his desk. His eyes were closed but he opened them when he heard a breeze of cool air come through the room. He opened his eyes and in front of his desk stood Stacey.

She didn't seem to chnge much except for the wedding band around her ring finger. Her hair was still as dark as ever and her eyes still seemed to search his.

House put his feet down, sat up and stared at her for several moments. He paused his Ipod and when he finally found his voice he coldly asked her, "What are you doing here? Are you here to cut my other leg open?"

Stacey held his icy stare but said nothing. After a while she said, "I'm here because I need you to give my husband, Mark a check up. The other doctors said that it's due to stress but I don't think it's that. He has stomach pains but no one seemed to know what causes it. I need you to examine him."

House stared at her. "Why should I give your husband a check up? Do you think he would want his wife's ex to be his doctor? I wouldn't."

"I need you to. He refuses to get treatment. There's something wrong with him but he denies it. I know he's lying."

He stared at her for a minute longer. The intensity of their gaze was capable of drilling holes into the walls. Eventually, he responded with a "Fine."

"Good. You'll meet him tonight at dinner. Be at Lahiere's at seven-thirty. We'll see you there"

* * *

_One week later..._

Cameron's side to the story…

One week had passed since Mark Warner had been admitted into the hospital. It turned out that he had AIP and is currently getting treatment. It's one week that marked the arrival of Stacey. Ever since Cuddy offered Stacey a job at the hospital, things changed.

House reverted back to his old ways. He stopped smiling and he ignored people close to him, namely Cameron and Wilson. It seemed that the longer that Stacey stayed there, the more bitter House became. He barked at patients more often which caused more lawsuits. Even Cuddy stopped badgering him about his clinic duties. But the person that seemed tobe targetthe most often was Cameron. Most of hospital staff now ignored her for fear that House would bite their heads off too if they are spotted anywhere near Cameron.

Cameron knew the cause of House's behavioral change. The cause was Stacey. She brought up feelings from House that he tried to bury. It didn't matter if the feelings were anger, sadness, confusion, or joy. Every time he's near or with Stacey, afterwards, he became meaner.

She realized that House couldn't love her because of one simple explanation. He was already in love with someone else. She was happy for him. She was happy that he could love someone even if it wasn't her. The fact that he was capable of loving someone made her happy.

Cameron knew all this, but she didn't say anything. It wasn't her business to say anything. It didn't mean that her heart does not break every time she stares into those eyes of his. He hurts her every time he makes a nasty remark to her after his encounter with Stacey. But she didn't mind. She preferred that he let his anger out on her than on somebody else. At least she had built some kind of immunity to his remarks whereas someone else doesn't.

She had officially threw the towel in. She stopped trying win House's heart because she knew it would never be hers. How could it be hers when his previous lover didn't return it to him? She was tired of the fighting for his heart. She decided that if he cares that much about Stacey, who was she to stand in his way? So she had decided to give up.

* * *

Cameron woke up one morning to find a nasty surprise. She didn't expect for it to happen but it did. She proceeded to work as if nothing had happen. She had to find House. 

She tried to remain as blasé as possible throughout the entire day. She would wait until after work to confront him. If she told him during work hours, he would create a scene and the last thing that she needs right now was the whole hosptial to know. So she impatiently waited for five o' clock.

At 5:47, she headed for House's office. She had hid in the clinic all day. She knew that House wouldn't bother her there.

When she reached his office, she hoped that he would still be there. She also hoped that he wouldn't be a bad mood. She looked in and saw that he was staring out the window, the back of his chair turned to the door. She quietly opened the door and walked in.

She stood by the door for several minutes, unsure of how to start their conversation. A thought then ran across her mind. If she left now, he would never know that she was there. She could confront him tomorrow when she would be better prepared. She turned around to leave when his voice stopped her.

"If you're here to say something, then say it. Don't stand there like a statue." His voice was cold, emotionless. It became like that ever since Stacey's arrival.

It was too late. He had detected her presence. _'Better now or never,'_ she thought.

"Do you remember…that night?" she asked timidly.

He slowly swung his chair around to face her. She saw dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept for several days. His eyes were still as blue as ever but they wre empty of feeling.

"What about that night?" he asked, his voice still icy.

"Well--" she began when House interrupted her.

"Don't tell me that you're here because after one month, you realized that you still have feelings for me. I thought we had a deal, Cameron. 'No strings attached,' remember? You said so yourself." His gaze made her froze like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.

"I did say that. I'm here to--"

House interrupted her again. "I'm not looking for a relationship right now, Cameron. I'm not looking for any kind of commitment whether it's big or small. I don't want to commit to anything. Do you understand?" he asked quietly, his gaze never leaving her face.

She nodded. She undertood perfectly. He didn't want any commitment so she won't give him any commitment to think about. She turned around to leave.

"What were you going to say Dr.Cameron?"

She quickly turned around to face him. He was still watching her. "You had read my mind. I was going to ask you if you were ready for a commitment to something but since you answered my question before I asked it, there's no need to ask it now." She turned around and quickly left the room.

He stared at the door for several moments before turning his chair back towards the window.

* * *

House's side of the story…

Feelings that he thought were long gone resurfaced when Stacey came back. He was happy with what he had with Cameron but when Stacey came back into the picture, everything changed. _He_ changed.

He didn't know if it was jealousy or what but every time he's near Stacey, afterwards, he became bitter. He started pushing people away again when she came back. He pushed everyone away even Cameron and Wilson.

He didn't want to have feelings for Stacey but he does. He know he shouldn't have especially after she left him broken like that. She had hurt him once before so now he's preparing himself in case she hurts him again a second time. And so he prepares himself by pushing everyone away.

He knew that he changed ever since she came back. He could see it in the faces of the hospital staff every time he walks past them. But it he could see it most clearly in Cameron's face.

She had let him take his frustration, his anger out on her and she did it without complaint. He could see the pain in her eyes every time his retorts hurt her but she didn't cry. She put on a brave face in front of him.

To him, she seemed defeated lately. She looked drained of energy and simply followed orders without having a second thought. It's as if she stopped fighting and had simply gave in. But what bothered House the most was that he doesn't know what she gave in to. He racked his brain for several days, losing sleep over it. He just couldn't figure out why she looked defeated.

He was in his office, staring out the window when she came in. He was in a particularly bad mood today because earlier, he had spotted Stacey lying with her husband in his hospital bed. That had put him a bad mood ever since.

Cameron stood in his office for what seemed like several hours not saying anything. House finally became irritated and said coldy, "If you're here to say something, then say it. Don't stand there like a statue."

He sensed her hesitation but she asked it anyway. "Do you remember…that night?"

The thought of that night made him spin his chair around to face her. For the first time in several weeks, he had noticed Cameron. Her face portrayed conflicted emotions and perhaps a tinge of pain.

"What about that night?" He hoped she wouldn't ask him to commit to something because the last thing he need is commitment on his mind. So he decided to end any of her foolish thoughts like that, then and there.

She began with, "Well--" that he quickly interrupted.

"Don't tell me that you're here because after one month, you realized that you still have feelings for me. I thought we had a deal, Cameron. 'No strings attached,' remember? You said so yourself." He couldn't believe that his own voice sounded so cold, but he had to stop any kind of those thoughts before they begin to sprout.

She started again. "I did say that. I'm here to--"

"I'm not looking for a relationship right now, Cameron. I'm not looking for any kind of commitment whether it's big or small. I don't want to commit to anything. Do you understand?" For a moment, he thought he saw anger and hurt flashed across her face but she quickly recovered.

She didn't say anything; she just nodded. She turned around to leave but he stopped her.

"What were you going to say, Dr.Cameron?" The question was out of his mouth before he could stop it. She turned around and faced him.

"You had read my mind. I was going to ask you if you were ready for a commitment to something but since you answered my question before I asked it, there's no need to ask it now." She quickly turned around and left before he could ask her any further questions.

He sat there staring at the door, at the spot where she had stood six seconds ago. He slowly turned his chair around and stared back out of the window. He wondered if that was what she was truly going to say or if she had changed her mind and decided not to say anything. He closed his eyes and sighed. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

As Cameron got in her car and drove, she made up her mind. She decided not to tell him. He, after all, did say that he was not looking for any kind of commitment, no matter if it's big or small. This would count as a major commitment. As she reached her home, she concluded that if he did not want to know, she wouldn't tell him. She would not tell him that she was pregnant with his child.

Diclaimer: Not mine.

Author's Note: Hope you guys will like it. Please review; critiques are welcome.


	8. Decisions

Chapter 8

Cameron's Side of the Story…

Several days had passed since their conversation in House's office. His taunts became meaner and more personal towards Cameron. But she still didn't do anything about it. Foreman, Chase, and Wilson became worried about her mental state so they decided to confront her one day.

She was working in the lab, writing down some notes when they came in. She looked up to find three worried faces looking down at her.

"Cameron…are you okay?" Chase asked uncertainly.

"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?" she replied confused.

"Are you sure you're okay? The way House treats you is enough to make even the toughest guy cry. I just don't know how you can stomach all those insults," Wilson said.

"I'm fine."

"So do you know why he treats you like this? I just don't see why you should put up with him. He can't just pick on you for no apparent reason," Foreman said sofly.

She looked uncomfortably around the room. Should she tell them? After a moment of hesitation, she decided to tell them. She needed to get this off of her chest.

"You noticed how his attitude changed ever since Stacey came back?" she asked looking at them. They each slowly nodded their heads. "Well, my guess is that he still loves her so he put his defense shields up before she or anyone else can hurt him again. His weapon for protection is his verbal abuse. That's why he's been more bitter."

Wilson looked at her. "I know that much. What I don't know is why he chose you to be his target the most often. He stopped going after Chase and goes after you instead. Did something happen between you two?"

She hesitated. It would be good for her to unburden her problems but what if they go blabbing to House? She can't let that happen.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone. And promise me you won't go after House," she pleaded. They nodded their heads in agreement. "I need to hear you say it."

"We promise."

She then told them of what happened between House and her after that night out. As she told them, all three mouths dropped open. They couldn't believe what they had just heard. They thought their ears had deceived them.

Wilson was the first to recover. "I don't think that's the reason why he's going after you. I think it's because he is afraid that you'll ask him if he likes you again. So in order to prevent that from happening, he pushes you away. The more he pushes you away, the less you'll have the chance to hurt him."

The room became silent when Wilson was done with his explanation. Foreman decided to change the subject.

"Are you okay? You seem…dejected lately. You hardly have any inputs any more during 'differential diagnostics' time. You just follow whatever orders House gives you without any objections. It's like you gave up the will to live."

"I simply gave up."

"Gave up? Gave what up?" Chase asked.

"House."

"You gave House up? That's it? Why?"

"Because he stills loves his ex. He doesn't need me to interfere so I just gave up. Simple as that." Cameron tried to say it in a monotone but she could feel it not working. Tears started to well up in her eyes again. The room grew silent once again.

"I don't think that's the only reason," Foreman finally said. "You also seem fidgety. What's the matter?"

"Nothing," she said rather quickly, that caused eyebrows to raise. "It's…just that…um…I don't know how to say this…um."

"Oh, for God's sake, Cameron! Just say it!" Chase said.

"I'm pregnant," she mumbled to the floor. The others weren't sure they heard correctly.

"Did you just say you were…?" Wilson asked. She slowly nodded.

"Is it his?" she snapped her head up at Chase, as if to say _who else could it be?_

"Does he know?" Foreman asked to break the fiery gaze she gave to Chase. She shook her head.

"Don't you think you should tell him?"

"I cornered him yesterday in his office after work. He said he didn't want to commit to anything whether it's big or small. He gave me a lecture on his willingness to not commit to anything before I even told him. Once he was done, I decided not to tell him. This would count as a commitment. He said he doesn't want any commitment so I won't tell him."

"Don't you think he's going to notice? It's going to start showing," Wilson said.

She didn't say anything. She just gazed into outer space.

"You're not going to have an abortion…are you?" Wilson posed.

At this point, she was so confused she doesn't even know what she wants anymore.

"I…I don't know," she said finally. She gathered her notes and hurried out of the room with Wilson, Foreman, and Chase looking after her.

* * *

House's Side to the Story…

He was walking mindlessly around the hospital when he spotted Wilson, Forman, and Chase, all walking into the lab. He was naturally curious so he decided to follow them to see what the excitement was about. He stopped outside the lab doors when he saw Cameron was in there with them.

They were talking about something that he couldn't hear. He quietly opened the door a crack, hoping it wouldn't squeak. The door silently opened to House's delight. Since the lab was the room right around the corner, he ducked behind a plant that was around the corner so he wouldn't get caught. The opened door had let him hear the conversation they were having.

"Cameron…are you okay?" It was spoken with an accent which meant that it was Chase who asked the question.

"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?" came Cameron's voice.

"Are you sure you're okay? The way House treats you is enough to make even the toughest guy cry. I just don't know how you can stomach all those insults." This time it was Wilson's voice.

_'So they are talking about me. This should prove to be interesting.'_

"I'm fine," came Cameron's answer.

"So do you know why he treats you like this? I just don't see why you should put up with him. He can't just pick on you for no apparent reason." It was Foreman's voice.

There was a pause before someone spoke again. It was Cameron. "You noticed how his attitude changed ever since Stacey came back?" There was a second pause, but it was shorter. She continued, "Well, my guess is that he still loves her so he put his defense shields up before she or anyone else can hurt him again. His weapon for protection is his verbal abuse. That's why he's been more bitter."

House was speechless. He didn't know what to say. He was too dumbstruck to even think anything.

"I know that much. What I don't know is why he chose you to be his target the most often. He stopped going after Chase and goes after you instead. Did something happen between you two?" Wilson asked.

House became nervous. _'Don't tell them, don't tell them, don't tell them,'_ was all he think of.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone. And promise me you won't go after House." It sounded like she begging them. They had apparently promised because she said, "I need to hear you say it."

"We promise" came their answer. As she told them what happened, House felt confused. '_Why did she tell them? Did she want to unburden her shoulders or did she want to tell people of how her boss had sexually harassed her?'_

When she finished, there was silence. He thought that everyone had left while he was preoccupied. He started to move from behind the plant when he heard Wilson.

"I don't think that's the reason why he's going after you. I think it's because he is afraid that you'll ask him if he likes you again. So in order to prevent that from happening, he pushes you away. The more he pushes you away, the less you'll have the chance to hurt him." The room became silent once more.

Then came Foreman's voice. "Are you okay? You seem…dejected lately. You hardly have any inputs any more during 'differential diagnostics' time. You just follow whatever orders House gives you without any objections. It's like you gave up the will to live"

_'Smart boy. I was wondering that myself. Now I can know the answer instead of spending nights losing sleep over it.'_

"I simply gave up"

"Gave up? Gave what up?" Chase asked. Chase was echoing House's own thoughts.

"House." _Me?_

"You gave House up? That's it? Why"

"Because he stills loves his ex. He doesn't need me to interfere so I just gave up. Simple as that." House could hear her voice breaking.

He decided hear didn't want to hear anymore. He moved from behind the plant and moved down the corridor. _'So that's why she seemed defeated lately. Stacey had defeated her. Cameron simply couldn't handle it anymore and threw in the towel.'_

In the last twenty minutes, House experienced every kind of emotion. Firsthe was stunned becauseof cameron's theory onthe reaon behind House's behavior.Second came nervousness. He didn't want anyone to find out about what happened between him and Cameron but it's too late to change it now. Then confusion set in. He was puzzled over the reason why she chose to tell them.

Then she told them that she had gave up. She had gave him up. He should feel glad but instead he felt disappointment. Disappointment? He needed a drink so he headed towards his office where he kept various bottles of alcohol.

* * *

Cameron tossed and turned throughout that night. She didn't know what she should do. Her hand traveled to her stomach where a baby now lay. She didn't want to abort but she felt like she had no choice. It would going to start showing and House would notice sooner or later. She can't cover it up with her lab coat for nine months. And if she had the baby, how could she explain her maternity leave?

She sighed and turned to lay on her side. If she had the baby, she would raise it alone. She doesn't know if she could raise a baby all by herself. Keeping the baby would mean leaving PPTH. It would mean leaving House. She doesn't know if she could do it.

On the other hand, she can't abort it. She had a miscarriage and that nearly killed her. She doesn't know if she could go through with the abortion process. She had even thought about putting it up for adoption. But she feared that once she gave birth to her unborn child, she wouldn't have the heart to part from it.

As the sun rose and shined through her window, Cameron came to a decision. She would keep the baby and leave PPTH so that her unborn child and herself would have a fresh start.

Disclaimer: Not mine.


	9. GoodBye

Chapter 9

Cameron came into work the next morning looking confident and sure of herself. She entered the conference room to find that nobody was there. She looked over to House's office. He wasn't in yet.

While waiting for the others, she made the coffee and sorted House's mail. On his desk, she placed an envelope with his name on it on top of the pile of mail that were important.

She headed back to the conference room to find Chase and Foreman putting on their lab coats. She cleared her throat to let them know that she was there.

They turned around to Cameron standing there. They said their "Good mornings" then went to back to what they were doing. Foreman noticed that Cameron look like she had something on her mind.

"Is something wrong, Cameron?" Foreman asked. Chase turned around to look at Cameron more carefully.

"Um…I thought that you guy should be the first to know that…um…remember that discussion we had yesterday?"

Chase thought for a while before realizing what she meant. "Yeah, what about it? Are you going through with it?"

Cameron nodded her head. Foreman and Chase looked shocked. "You're going through with abortion?"

"What? No! I'm going through with the pregnancy."

Chase and Foreman looked relieved when she said that.

"Well, you have to tell House now. Keeping the baby means that it's going to start to show. Better tell him now, we'll be there for you if you need us," Foreman said. Cameron looked uncomfortable.

"See…that's the other thing I want to tell you guys." She paused, not knowing how to put it. "I…I'm quitting."

For the second time in less than five minutes, Foreman and Chase looked shocked. "You're quitting? Why?" Chase asked.

"If I want to keep the baby, I have to quit. House said he doesn't want commitment so I'm relieving him of that duty. If he doesn't know about the pregnancy, he wouldn't have to worry about committing to the baby."

"Cameron, don't you think it's wrong to keep a secret this big from House? After all, he is--?" Foreman was saying before he was interrupted.

"Keep what secret from me?" They didn't noticed that House had entered the conference room. He didn't hear what was said before that but when he entered the room, he heard something about a secret. He turned towards Cameron. "What secret?" he asked again.

"Nothing," all the doctors replied. They looked at each other guiltily.

"Right," House said skeptically.

When House entered his office, Cameron pressed her finger to her mouth, signaling that they should keep quiet about the pregnancy.

Foreman sat down, reaching for the newspaper while Chase was at the sink pouring himself a cup of coffee. Cameron was almost out of the door, heading for the clinic when House stuck his head in the conference and firmly said, "Cameron, I need to speak with you."

She entered his office, leaving Foreman and Chase with puzzled looks on their faces. When she sat down, House held up the letter with his name on it. He was holding her resignation letter.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "What does it look like to you?" she asked.

"It looks like your resignation letter. Pray tell, why are you resigning?"

"Let me ask you a question. Do you want to commit?"

"Commit to what?" he asked angrily. He saw where this conversation was going and he didn't like it.

"Just commitment in general. Are you willing to commit to something?"

"No," he said quite forcibly.

"Well, I am. Since you are not, I'm quitting."

He scoffed. "That's a stupid excuse. Why don't you just say that seeing me everyday breaks your heart so the only thing that you can do is to quit? At least, I would believe that."

"That's not the reason why I'm quitting."

"Then what is?" he interrupted her crossly.

"Personal reasons."

"Which are?"

"Personal. That's my resignation letter. I'm giving you two weeks notice then I'm gone. You won't have to worry about me ever again." She stood up and walked out of his office.

House stared after her until she was out of sight. He reached down, pulled open the third drawer on the left, and pulled out a bottle of vodka. After taking a long drink from it, he set the bottle on the desk. He reached over and turned on his stereos. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. _What have I done?_

* * *

The next two weeks went by rather slowly for House and Cameron. They both were dreading the day that would be Cameron's last. They didn't have a patient so most of their time was free. House spent that time either in office or with Wilson, while Cameron spent her time in the lab, the clinic, or in the bathroom. 

Cameron's morning sickness hadn't gone unnoticed by the hospital staff. They knew about House and Cameron spending one night together. There is nothing that the nurses don't know. They know who's in or out of the closet, who's sleeping with who, and who's doing what. They knew that House was the father and that he didn't want anything to do with either Cameron or the baby. They also knew to keep their mouth shut. So the only person in the hospital that didn't know was the father himself.

Cameron's last day was depressing. Everybody came to say goodbye to her. Wilson had said his goodbye early because he had to go to a conference in California. Foreman and Chase kept giving her hugs to comfort her. They knew that she didn't want to leave but she had no choice.

It was the end of the day and Cameron was saying her goodbyes to the last of the doctors and nurses. She didn't see House all day but she wasn't surprised. He had been avoiding her since the day she gave him her resignation.

She went into her office and started to pack her things. She didn't start packing until yesterday. She wanted to get the task over with, once and for all. She was packing her medical books in boxes when House came in.

She looked up at him and for the first in weeks, she saw his face. His eyes were sunken with a giant bag under each eye. His stubble was much more pronounced and his face looked thinner as if he didn't eat for several days. His irises, however, were still as blue as ever. He stood in her office, not saying anything. He just stood there looking at her then at the boxes.

When Cameron found her voice she asked, "What are you doing here, House? Aren't you usually home by now?"

He didn't say anything. He just stood there, his intense gaze heating the room. She sighed and continued packing. After a few minutes House broke the silence.

"Why are you leaving?"

She turned back towards him. "I already told you. I'm leaving for personal reasons."

"That are?"

"Personal."

He scoffed. "Just come right out and say it Cameron! Just say that you still love me and it hurts you to see the way I look at Stacey. Just say it."

"That is not the reason why I'm leaving."

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not." She looked at him with such intensity that House knew that she was telling the truth.

"If that's not the reason, then what is?" House wasn't going to let her go without a reason. He had spent many nights pondering the very question. He had even stop eating for a couple days. He wanted to know and today was the last chance for him to find out.

"Are you willing to commit?"

"Didn't we already go over this once before? What does my commitment has anything to do with your leaving?"

"It has plenty to do with it. Now, answer the question. Are you willing to commit?"

He stared at her. His leg was starting to cramp but he wasn't going to let her know that. He didn't want to seem weak in front of her. With clenched teeth he said, "No, I'm not willing. Is this what it's all about? You're quitting because I don't want to commit?"

Cameron thought he clenched his teeth because he was frustrated, when in fact it was because of the pain. The pain from his leg, the pain from her leaving.

She didn't say anything. She just simply continued packing her books and certificates into the boxes. When she didn't answer, House just turned around and headed for the door. But before he left, he spoke with his back to her.

"Have a nice life, Dr. Cameron." It was spoken with hostility and bitterness. He didn't wait for Cameron to respond before leaving the office.

She stood there speechless. She may have seem indifferent on the outside, but on the inside she was cracking. Or rather, her heart was. Leaving House was not an easy decision for her. She wanted her child to have a chance it deserves.

She continued packing as tears silently streamed down her face. She bit her lips to keep from crying out. Her shoulders shook from her silent sobs. When she opened one of her desk drawers, intent on cleaning it out, she lost control.

She sat down on her chair and put her head on her arms. After her weeping had somewhat subsided, she looked back at the desk drawer. On top of her piles of notes was a picture of her and House.

The picture showed House with his arms wrapped around her slender waist. She had a smile plastered in her face and even House had the faintest hint of a smirk playing on his lips. They looked happy, peaceful.

Wilson had took it when he was testing out Foreman's new camera. Wilson teased House that he should wrap his arms around Cameron and pose for a picture. Surprising everyone, House did just that. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. Wilson quickly took the picture, not wanting to miss the opportunity. When Foreman developed the picture, he gave Cameron and House a copy.

Cameron looked down at the picture. It reminded her of the times that they had spent together, both at work and out of work. She threw it in the wastebasket by her desk and continued packing her things. After a moment, she stopped packing and looked down at the picture in the trashcan.

Somewhat hesitantly, she picked it up and placed it in one of her boxes, the one that held her most prized possessions. She finished packing and with one last look at her office, she left closing the door behind her.

* * *

House was sitting in his office, his chair turned to the window. Looking out of his office, one could see the parking garage. He sat there, looking at a figure walking towards the garage. It had long brown hair and was carrying boxes to their car. He watched her as she turned around, looking at PPTH on last time. 

Even though he was several floors up and was certain she couldn't see him, he thought she was looking straight at him. She was far away but he could still make out faint streams of tears running down her face. He watched her mouthed _"Goodbye"_ before turning around and headed once more for her car.

Once she was out of his sight, he quietly whispered, _"Goodbye, Allison."

* * *

_

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's Note: Should I continue or should I leave it as it is? If you want me to continue, I already have an alternate ending in mind. Review to let me know.


	10. Daddy?

Chapter 10

Five years later…

House sighed. The fresh air was not doing him any good. They had a new case of a young girl that came in with a rash and vomiting. Later in the day, she was coughing up blood. House had no idea what was wrong with her and neither do the ducklings.

He sighed again. After Cameron had left, he had the _extreme_ pleasure of interviewing people for her position. He couldn't find anyone. They were all either stuck up or kiss-ups. In the end, Cuddy had to hire someone because House simply wasn't going to do it. Jackson didn't even have half of Cameron's intelligence as a doctor.

_As a doctor_. She only made smart decisions as a doctor. As a person with feelings, she made stupid ones. Like quitting her job. Like cutting him out of her life. Like moving out of Princeton. How did he know that she moved? Simple. He had dropped by her apartment two weeks after she had quit.

He had stood at her front door knocking for about an hour until the landlord walked by. House asked him if he could open the door so he could come in.The landlordtold House that nobody was living in that apartment. Cameron had moved out one week ago.

That was five years ago. Rather, it was five years and two weeks ago when she walked out of his life. He didn't want her to come in, to make herself at home in his heart, but somehow she managed that. She saw through years of walls that he had carefully built to protect himself. He pushed her away to protect himself.

And it worked. She had left him like Stacey did. They both had left him heartbroken, but this time around it was different. With Stacey, he loved the _idea_ of being loved and of loving someone. With Cameron, however, he loved _her_.

It had taken him two weeks until he came to the realization that he loved her. And when he finally came to his senses to proclaim his love for her, she had left. So now he is here.

* * *

He is at the park where Cameron had taken him to after their night together. Every week he stopped by here in hopes of finding Cameron. He hoped that she would somehow miraculously reappear in his life. For five years he had waited. He had wanted for exactly five years. For you see, the case wasn't the only reason why he stopped by the park. It was exactly five years ago today that she left. 

House sighed again. The fresh air that he wanted to get seemed stale to him. He needed to clear his mind of the case, of Cameron. He was about to accomplish that someone interrupted his train of thoughts.

A little boy ran up to him. "Mister, can you help my sister? She falled and I think she breaked her knee," the little boy said. He was about five years old and was hysterical.

House was sitting on the bench thinking, while in the distance, not even twenty feet from him, a little boy and girl were playing. They were racing from trees to trees when the girl fell. The boy didn't know what to do to stop his sister from crying so he looked around for someone. He had saw House and ran up to him for help.

"I can't help you," House replied. "I'm not a doctor."

"You no have to be a doctor. Can you see if she is okay? She no listen to me because she knows me. If someone she not know tell her that it's okay, she'll believe them. Can you help, Mister?" The boy was pleading him.

House wasn't in the mood to talk, much less help anyone, but he just couldn't bring himself to say no the boy. "Alright," House said at last.

House stood up and the boy took him by the hand, leading him to his sister. As the view of the girl slowly got closer, House saw that she was sitting on the ground, bawling her eyes out. The boy dropped House's hand and ran over to his sister with House limping behind him.

"Hey, sis. Alex…Alex, look at me," the boy was saying to his sister as he knelt down. When Alex heard her brother's voice, she looked at him with watery eyes.

"Matt, where were you? Why did you leave me?" The girl started to cry again.

"Shh," the boy said, trying to comfort her. "Look, I bringed someone with me. He is going to tell you your knee is no breaked. Ok?" He pointed to House who was standing behind him. The girl seemed to notice House for the first time.

"Your brother here asked me to come and check your knee. He said that you were afraid to you broke your knee. I don't think you fell that hard," House said as he painfully dropped to the ground to examine her.

She whimpered and drew her leg back when House tried to reach for it. She was afraid of him and especially his cane.

"I won't bite," House sighed. "If you don't want me to check it, I could leave you here with what could possibly be a broken kneecap. Do you want that?"

Alex slowly shook her head no. She gave House her leg and he looked at her wound.

"It's only a scrape. You'll be fine," he said.

"Thanks, Mister," the boy replied smiling at him.

For the first time, House noticed something. They both had clear blue eyes, eyes that were eerily similar to his own. The girl had dark brown hair but the boy…_Matt?…_had hair that was sandy colored. Like House's.

The children looked at House uneasily. They were uncomfortable under House's scrutiny gaze. The girl slowly frowned as if she had suddenly remembered something.

"Hey Mister, what's your name?" she asked.

"Why do you want to know?" House questioned.

"Well,…it's just…you look like…," she stammered.

"Alex, what are you talking about?" Matt asked. He squinted his eyes, closely examining House.

"Matt, look. He look like."

"Who? He look like" Matt was puzzled.

"Him."

Matt suddenly realized who his sister was talking about. "No, he not"

"Yes, he do. Look again"

He squinted his eyes even closer until all that was visible were two slits for eyes. "He look like a little"

"What are you guys talking about?" House asked. He was becoming irritated and wanted to know who he looked like.

"You _do_ look like him. You do," the boy said eagerly.

"Who?" House asked impatiently.

"Him," the girl said just as excitedly.

"Who's him?" House was starting to yell.

"Him," they both replied enthusiastically.

House sighed for about the tenth time that day. "Where are your parents? You need to be with them. I don't know what kind of parents would leave their children alone like this," House said.

"Mommy went to the car to get our snacks. She telled us to play here 'til she come back."

"Great, just great. Looks like I'm babysitting you guys until your parents come back," House muttered.

A shadow suddenly fell over the trio. The children looked up at the person standing behind House and smiled. They both pointed at House and began talking at the same time.

"Mommy! Mommy look! He look like him!"

"He do! He do look like him! Look!"

House opened his mouth about to say something for leaving the children alone in the park and for them mistaking him for someone else when Alex said something that stopped him. He was rendered speechless.

She had exclaimed, "He look like Daddy! Like Daddy! Look!"

_Daddy?_ Heslowlystood up and turned around.

In front of him there she stood. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and was, House noticed, several inches longer than the last time he saw her. Her eyes were wide open, revealing two big hazel orbs that were staring at him. They were filled with unshed tears. Her mouth was dropped opened, making a small O. The backpack that was slung over her right shoulder dropped to the ground with a thud.

When she found her voice, she whispered only one word. That little word made his heart stop for what seemed to be eternity.

She had softly whispered, "Greg."

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. I had updated this morning but had submitted the wrong document. I immediately deleted the chapter but before I could submit the correct chapter, it was time for school! Anyways, hope you'll like this chapter.

Disclaimer: Not mine.


	11. No More?

Chapter 11

They stood there looking at each other, not knowing what to say. The children were still sitting on the ground, feeling uncomfortable from the tension between the two adults.

Cameron broke the spell by crouching down by Alex. "What happened?" she asked her daughter.

"Matt and me was racing and I falled. Matt asked him to help." Alex pointed to House, who was still standing there. His mind had not yet registered what happened.

Alex continued, "Matt asked him to help and he came over to look at my leg. He sayed my knee not breaked, only scratch"

Matt nodded his head in agreement. "Mommy, it's true. I did asked for help but only because Sis was crying"

Cameron frowned slightly at her son, as she examined Alex's leg. "Matt, how many times have I told you to not talk to strangers"

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I did 'cuz Alex was crying. And I no like to see her cry"

"Mommy, don't be mad at Matt. He only wanted to help me," Alex pleaded her mother.

Cameron smiled slightly at her children. She was happy to see how deeply they cared for one another.

"I'm not mad. I just want you to be more careful the next time. Okay"

The twins nodded their heads.

House must've found his voice again for he interrupted their little moment when he said, "Aww…how touching. One big happy family."

Cameron's smile faltered, but continued talking to her children as if House wasn't there.

"Here are the snacks and drinks," she said pointing to the backpack. "I'll leave them by this tree in case you guys get hungry or thirsty. You guys continue playing, I'll be talking to Mister over here, okay"

The children nodded their heads once more. They each gave their mother a kiss before running off to play.

Cameron stared after them with a little smile on her face when House interrupted her thoughts again.

"So…Dr. Allison Cameron has children. Twins, in fact. How lovely," his voice dripping with malice, bitterness, and a faint tinge of hurt that was covered up with sarcasm.

Cameron slowly stood up. She closed her eyes and exhaled once before turning around to face him.

The stubble still covered the lower part of his face. His mouth was stretched in a thin line of indignation. Dark circles that formed under his eyes gave Cameron the impression of exhaustion. Exhaustion from cases, exhaustion from waiting for the love of life to come back.

Cameron's gaze traveled up further until it met his eyes. They were still as blue as the sky on a bright, sunny day. Perhaps even more so. The irises may appear full of life, vibrant, but at a closer look, it showed coldness. His eyes revealed dark tunnels that seemed to stretch for miles without hope of finding the light at the end of it. It could make a person feel like they are falling, falling until the end of time for the pit was bottomless. That was how cold and dark his eyes seemed. Because of those eyes, his face showed no emotion; thus, giving his expression a feeling of detachment from anyone and anything.

Cameron couldn't look at his face any longer. She quickly turned away from the scrutiny of his gaze. She turned her head to look at her children, who were playing together in the open space by the pathway. Their laughter could be heard ringing through the park.

House's gaze reluctantly left Cameron's face and turned towards the children. The girl was a splitting image of her mother. With the dark brown hair and the creamy white skin, Alex could've been Cameron's twin instead of the boy's. The boy himself didn't look much like Cameron. He had sandy-colored hair and his cheekbones weren't as high as Cameron's. Nonetheless, he was still an attractive boy. Together, the children made an adorable pair.

House soon looked away from that scene. He couldn't deal with the idea of Cameron being a mother, much less a mother to twins. The children looked like they are around five years old, which meant that Cameron had moved on around the time that she quit her job, House thought.

House smiled bitterly at the thought of Cameron getting together with someone while he was sitting in his office, going through bottle after bottle of alcohol, regretting her departure.

He looked back at Cameron. He couldn't deal with the silence any longer so he said, "Why'd you move"

Cameron was taken back by his question. "How'd you know I moved"

"I came by two weeks after you left to…" he trailed off, not sure of what to say. Should he tell her that he came by to proclaim his love for her only to find out that she had left? He wanted to tell her that. He wanted to badly but…he was afraid she wouldn't accept his answer. She had given him many chances before and he didn't take them.

How can he tell her that he never realized what he had until it was gone? Even though the line sounded like it came straight out of a sappy movie, it was true. He didn't realize how much he cared for her until she left. Left her job, left Princeton, left him.

"When you came by to…?" Cameron said, disrupting his thoughts.

"When I came by to…to ask you to come back to work. Again, for the second time"

"Why"

"Because Cuddy was making me interview sniveling, stuck-ups. I thought that I could've save the trouble by asking you to come back," he said, choosing to not look her in the face.

Cameron quietly asked, "Even if I was there…what made you think I would come back"

House was silent. He didn't know what would happen. He had half hoped that Cameron would profess her love for him then come back to work. He wasn't expecting for her to leave Princeton.

"Greg?" Cameron asked worriedly.

House snapped his head towards Cameron. "What did you just call me"

"I called you Greg"

Her simple answer made his heart stop again for the second time that day. She had called him Greg, not House, but Greg. She didn't see House, her former misanthropist boss that was crippled whose only emotions that he ever portrayed were anger or sarcasm. No, she had called him Greg, a man that she had feelings for.

Cameron continued when she felt uncomfortable with House's silence. "I had quit so I thought that since I'm not one of your little ducklings anymore, I could call you by your first name. You know, as your equal"

House broke the tension between them when he said, "So…you still a doctor"

"Yeah, I found a temporary job at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton. I just moved back here about four months ago so I hadn't found a permanent home or job yet"

"'Just moved back"

"After I quit my job, I traveled to Georgia where my parents live. I lived with them during the pregnancy. They were helpful. Especially after I found out I was carrying twins," she added softly.

The silence consumed them once more. House clenched his jaw from the pain in his leg. He didn't want to pop a Vicodin in front of Cameron because for some reason, he felt that he had to keep his appearance up around her. He didn't want her to think that he was weak.

Cameron noticed the pain in his features so she casually suggested, "Wanna sit on the bench? My legs are getting tired from standing around." House gave a slight nod.

Once they were settled, they spent several minutes staring at the children run around, playing. They seemed so carefree…so innocent.

"Where's their father"

Cameron didn't reply. She continued watching her children as if she didn't hear him. She didn't want to tell him that he was their father. It would devastate him to know that he missed all their firsts. Their first breath, their first smile, their first tooth, their first steps, their first words.

She smiled slightly at the thought of their first words. Both of them had said "Daddy" as their first word. Matt had said it first. Cameron had clapped her hands and laughed and kissed him with tears brimming her eyes. Alex must've been jealous with all the attention Matt got or for some other reason but whatever the cause was, she had repeated her brother. They both spoke their first words on the same day.

Tears gradually began to fill her eyes. She felt guilty from not letting House knows how much he had missed. He didn't even know about the children's existence and it was all her fault. She couldn't keep the secret any longer. She had to tell…no matter what the outcome will be. He might leave her and the children. She'll accept that fact. All she wants right now is for him to know he is the father of two beautiful, wonderful kids. She had to tell him about their children…and it's either now or never.

"Cameron?" House's voice shook Cameron from her reverie.

She turned to face him. "They don't have a father"

Bursts of anger erupted inside him. He turned away from her gaze. You have got to be kidding me! First you got together with some guy that you probably met at a bar. Then when you got pregnant, the guy just upped and left! You have got to be kidding me! If I ever find the guy, I'll-

"Greg?" Cameron interrupted the rant in his mind when she noticed a twitch in his jaw and that he was slowly clenching and unclenching his hand. "Are you alright"

"Tell me, Cameron, about the wonderful guy you met. To start off, you met him around the time you quit your job, judging by the age of your children. Then once he found out you were pregnant, he bolted! Just tell me about the freaking fantastic guy you--"

"Greg!"

He pivoted his head towards the speaker. "What? You don't want to say anything bad about the father of your children? Nice, polite Cameron doesn't want to talk about the man who got her pregnant then left her behind his back"

Cameron was silent. It's either now or never, she told herself.

"Greg…I…I"

"What? Do you want to tell me that you still love him? That you loves the one who made you cry yourself to sleep countless nights? That the first thing you think of when you wake is him?"

"Yes," she whispered softly.

House couldn't believe his ears. "You what"

"I still love him," she said quietly, as a single tear rolled down her right cheek. House didn't know what to say. He couldn't bring himself to look at her in the face.

Cameron took the advantage of his silence by saying, "I still love you"

He snapped his head towards her. "What did you say"

"I still love you." More silence consumed them.

She continued. "When I quit…I…I…I was pregnant"

"So I was right. You did meet him around the time of your resignation. I take it that's what you meant when you say 'personal reasons"

She gave a small nod, then bent her head forward, looking at her feet rather than at House, who didn't seem to connect the dots yet. He still thought that she got pregnant by someone else.

This made it even harder for Cameron to break the news to him. It's not like she can just come right out and say, "Just so you know, you got me pregnant and when I quit my job, I left without telling you. So now five years later, I'm telling you now."

"So…do I know him"

Another small nod. "You know him very well"

"It's not Wilson, is it?" She shook her head. "Chase?" Another shake. "Foreman"

"No"

"Carl from book-keeping?" She didn't answer him.

She lifted her head. "You"

House was shocked speechless. His brain didn't seem to register what she said.

"Me"

She didn't reply.

They sat there in silence. When the initial shock had worn off, House soon became angry.

"You were pregnant and you didn't tell me? I had gotten you pregnant and you didn't tell me?" House was practically yelling at her.

"I tried to…but you wouldn't listen"

"When did you try to tell me, Dr. Cameron?" He had went back to calling her Dr. Cameron. It signified him pushing her away, his shield from pain.

"That night in your office"

House couldn't believe what he was hearing. "'Willing to commit?' That was what you were talking about"

"Yes"

"Why didn't you just come right out and say it? Don't dance around what you were going to say and just say it. You have got to be kidding me"

She didn't say anything. She had expected this, so she let him say whatever was on his chest.

"I can't believe you! I am a father and you didn't tell me? Father of twins! Twins! Not one, but two!" He stopped for a minute to catch his breath.

When his breathing got back to normal, he looked at her with such anger that she quickly looked away.

"I can't believe you're telling me that you love me after all these years! After you left your job, left Princeton, left me! After all these years, I find out I'm a father!"

He continued, "I can't believe you. I spent months, not weeks, but months blaming myself for your resignation! My office and my home looked worse than Ground Zero after 9-11! For God's sake, I stopped eating! Do you know the only things I consumed Dr. Cameron? Bottles of Vicodin and booze! That's all, nothing else! Wilson had to stop by several times bringing food because I didn't step one foot outside my home!

But then I slowly came to accept it. I began eating solid foods again and then, slowly started going back to work. After a while, I thought that everything was going to be alright. I thought that you're going to come back and we would be fine again. But now…now you sprung this surprise on me! I can't believe you"

Cameron sat there, not saying anything with tears now freely streaming down her face. She didn't know what to say. She thought that Greg didn't care for her, so she gave him up. She left. She didn't know that she caused him this much heartache.

She looked up at Greg, who was now standing up from the bench.

"Greg…I…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought you didn't care for me. You know I still love you, Greg"

House couldn't look at her. He kept his face blank and his voice cold. He continued staring straight ahead as he said, "Don't…don't you dare sit there and tell me that you still love me. I don't want to hear any of it. If you love me, how could you leave me like that? And worse, you left without telling me that I got you pregnant. No…no. If you had truly loved me, you wouldn't do that to me. You would've stayed. You would've told me. No. You didn't love me, Dr. Cameron"

He started to walk away.

"Greg," Cameron called after him, her voice shaking with emotions.

He stopped a few steps away. For a moment, Cameron thought that he would come back. With hopes high, she stood up from the bench.

But all her hopes were soon dashed when he said quite angrily, "Good luck and Goodbye, Dr. Cameron. It wasn't a pleasure to see you again"

Cameron watched hopelessly after him, her heart breaking into a million pieces. Her shoulders shook with crying.

"Greg," she called after him softly. The tears were now falling off her chin and into oblivion.

"Greg."

* * *

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's Note: Hope you guys will like this chapter! Contact me about what you think needs fixing and remember, critisms are more than welcome!

P.S. I was informed that my Anonymous reviews butoon was disabled. Well, I fixed it so now if you want to remain anonymous, you can do so.


	12. Next Step?

Chapter 12

Various hues of red and orange enflamed the sky as the sun sank behind the tall trees of the park. People were starting to pack up and leave. The cool air blew through the leaves, causing Cameron to shiver.

But she didn't seem to notice any of that. She was too busy wrapped up in her own thoughts. She was still sitting on the bench, staring at the path that House's retreating figure took when he left. Although he was long gone, she was still staring at that open space, hoping that perhaps he would turn around and come back.

She sat there until her butt was numb, but he didn't return. When nightfall was seconds away from draping over the sky, the twins ran up to their mother.

"Mommy, can we go home now?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, we're tired," Matt pleaded.

She smiled sadly at her children. It pained her to know that her children might never know their father. From the moment they took their first breath up to this day, she regretted not telling him.

Matt looked around the park. "Mommy," he asked, "where did that man go?"

Tears began to fill up her eyes again. "It was getting dark so he had to go home. We should be heading home too." She stood up and walked over to the tree to pick up the backpack.

"Who was that man, Mommy? Why he look like Daddy?" Alex asked. She stopped mid-step. She didn't know what to say. She quickly shook her head and hoped that the twins didn't notice her pause.

"What are you talking about?" Cameron laughed softly, covering up her quiet sobs. She didn't turn around to face her children until she wiped her tears away. She was grateful that it was dark so they couldn't see their Mom crying.

"That man," Alex began again, "he looks like Daddy. You remember the picture, Mommy? The picture with you and Daddy? He looks like Daddy."

Cameron took a deep breath and blinked furiously to stop herself from crying again. The picture of her and House.

* * *

A few years ago, she was cleaning out her closet when she came across a small box. She lifted the lid and inside it laid piles of letters and pictures. She picked the letters out of the box and looked over each one. 

They were all addressed to House but she had never sent them. Throughout her entire pregnancy, she wrote letters to House telling him about the progress of their unborn twins. From the moment she found that she was carrying twins all the way to their birth.

She turned every single feeling that she felt into words. She never had the courage to mail them because she didn't know how House would respond to it. Instead of sending them out so at least he'll be updated, she kept them in a small box.

Setting the letters aside, she had picked up the stack of pictures from the bottom of the box. The ones on top were the pictures of her sonogram. She kept every one. As she flipped through them, she could see how the twins developed. The doctor saw Matt and informed her that she was going to have a boy. Cameron barely had enough time to register that fact when the doctor surprised her with Alex. She was carrying twins.

She smiled softly to herself at the thought of her initial surprise. At first, she cried out of happiness. She was having twins! Then the tears of happiness turned to rivers of sorrows when she thought of all the things the babies would need. She had just quit her job and hadn't found a new one yet. She was glad that her parents were understanding and helped her during and after her pregnancy.

She flipped through the pictures until she landed on the one with her and House. She was still looking at that picture when the twins came into the room. They were getting bored from watching TV and wanted to go outside. They walked quietly to their mother's room, expecting to find their Mom sleeping. Instead, they found her sitting on the floor, surrounded by clothes, shoes, and boxes of stuff.

They walked over to their mother and looked at the picture she still held in her hand.

"Who's that, Mommy?" Matt had asked, as he peered over her shoulder.

Cameron jumped when she heard her son's voice. She was focused so intently on the picture that she didn't hear the twins come in. She looked up at him, them looked back down at the picture.

"That's your Daddy," she said softly.

"Daddy?" Alex had exclaimed as she looked at the picture more carefully. She grabbed the picture from her Mom's hands and hugged the picture against her chest. "Daddy!"

She smiled painfully at the sight and tried to place the picture back into the box, but Alex wouldn't let go. She held stubbornly onto the picture. Alex wanted Cameron to put the picture on the mantle in the living room, where it stayed until this day.

* * *

"Mommy?" 

Cameron snapped out of her daydreams. She had been reliving the past and didn't noticed how cold the air got.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" a voice asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I'm fine. Let's go home."

She slung the backpack over her shoulder and took her children by their hands. Then the three of them made their way to their car.

The entire ride home was quiet. The children were tired from all that running around. Cameron was glad for the tranquility. Even though she loved their chatter, she still longed for some quiet time.

When she pulled into the parking space in front of her apartment complex, she turned around to face the backseat. The children were slumped against one another, fast asleep. She smiled at the sight.

Quietly, she made her way out of the car and opened the rear doors.

"Alex, Matt," she said in a singsong voice. "Wake up. We're home."

The twins groggily opened their eyes and looked around to see their surroundings. When they recognized their building, they tiredly climbed out of the door and headed for the apartment.

Cameron quickly locked the car doors and followed her children into the building. She saw that David, the doorman, was holding the door open for them to go in.

"Thanks, David," they said sleepily as they walked past the man.

"Thanks, David," Cameron said when she reached him.

"No problem. They look pretty tired so you should get them to bed quickly or they'll fall asleep right in front of the elevators," he chuckled, pointing to the twins.

"Yeah. Bye David."

"Bye."

The elevators dinged open and they twins walked in, waiting for their mother.

Matt pressed a button and the number five lit up above the door. Pretty soon, the doors opened again and the twins walked out, heading towards their apartment.

She quickly opened the door and they headed straight for their bedrooms. Cameron decided to let them go one night without brushing their teeth because they were so tired. By the time Cameron locked the door behind her, placed the backpack on a chair, and took off her coat, the children were already asleep.

She changed out of her clothes and headed for the kitchen. She reached into the back of one of the cabinets and pulled out a bottle of wine. After the confrontation with House today, she needed a drink.

She poured the drink into a wineglass and carried it into the living room. She sat down in the armchair with her legs tucked under her and turned her head towards the fireplace, or rather the mantle.

Pictures of her and the twins littered the mantle. There were also some pictures of her parents. In the very middle of the mantle was the picture of her and House. She studied the picture from her seat for a long time, taking a sip of her drink occasionally as she did so.

When her glass was finished, she placed it on the table and walked over to the fireplace. She picked the middle picture frame up and rubbed her thumb over House's face. Quietly, she made her way to her bedroom, picture in hand.

She carefully placed the picture on her nightstand. When she was settled under the covers, she turned over to lay on her side, facing the picture.

Perhaps it was the confrontation or from the alcohol, but whatever the reason was, that night Cameron softly cried herself to sleep, as she did many nights before.

* * *

The bright sun shining in his eyes amplified his headache. Although his eyelids were still closed, they didn't provide his eyes any shade. The bright light made his head throb even more, as if a jackhammer was pounding inside his head. 

House groaned and flipped over, onto his other side. The other side of the bed was cooler, making him drowsy again. He was starting to fall asleep when his alarm went off. He cursed as he pulled his pillow over his head, hoping to drown out the noise.

It didn't work so he reached over and hit the snooze button. Sleep was about to conquer him once more when this time a different alarm woke him up. This alarm was from nature.

House wanted to catch a few more minutes of sleep, but his bladder wouldn't let up. If he stayed a second longer in bed, he would have to buy a new mattress.

Propping himself up and off the bed, he cursed again as he reached over for his bottle of pills on the nightstand. After swallowing two, he stumbled his way to the bathroom.

As he exchanged pleasantries with the porcelain god, he thought back to what happened the day before. His mind was still hazy, but he remembered most of it. He remembered that after his talk with Cameron at the park, he went straight to a nearby liquor store and bought two bottles of vodka, one bottle of brandy, and one bottle of whiskey.

He had already drank one bottle of vodka and three-fourths of the bottle of brandy when he passed out. He suspected that Vicodin also caused him to pass out because usually one and three-fourths bottle of alcohol usually didn't affect him…much.

When his bladder was done, he moved until he stood in front of the mirror hanging over the sink.

His hair was tousled from sleep and gray ones were starting to radiate from his temples. The deep wrinkles in his forehead were more profound than ever. His two-day stubble became a four-day one. His eyes were sunken and bloodshot, but his irises were still as blue as ever. He scoffed at his image.

When he came out of the bathroom, he headed towards for the bed when the ring of the telephone stopped him. He decided to ignore it and climbed into bed. After several rings, his answering machine picked it up.

His gruff voice bounced off the walls and echoed through the still apartment. "You know who this is and you know what to do."

After the beep, he heard Cuddy's voice cutting through the silence. "House, get your lazy ass out of bed and drag it down here to the clinic. You better be coming in today to make up those clinic hours or I will triple it!"

House sneered at the message. It was Saturday and he didn't feel like going to the clinic to deal with the idiots and the hypochondriacs. On top of it all, he was supporting a headache. He sighed and pulled the covers over his head.

Ten minutes later, the phone rang again. It was from Wilson. "House, you better come in. Cuddy's on a rampage and she is hunting down doctors that owe her paperwork, like a hungry lioness. I'm one of them! She just cornered me in the elevator and asked for them. I had to--"

The sound of a door opening could be heard over the phone.

"Wilson!"

"Gotta go," Wilson said quickly before hanging up.

House chuckled at the thought of poor Wilson being ripped to shreds by Cuddy. He sighed again. It was time to get his daily lecturing from the Lioness.

He got out of bed and looked around for fresh clothes. Clothes were scattered on his floor so he didn't know which ones were clean and which ones weren't. He limped over to a corner of the room and picked up his red shirt. He sniffed it, decided that it was clean enough, and put it on.

Once he was dressed, he picked up his cane and limped out of the bedroom. A few minutes later, he was in his car, on his way to PPTH.

* * *

The hospital doors slid opened and he walked in to find that the nurses at the reception desk were already trembling. Apparently, Cuddy was still on the hunt. 

The nurses saw House and decided not to tempt fate. Whenever they see that House sporting his sunglasses, they knew that they should leave him alone.

Happy that Cuddy didn't catch onto his scent yet, he shuffled towards the elevator. He quickly walked into his office and closed the blinds. He walked over to his desk and sat down on his chair. He opened the first right-hand drawer and took out his I-pod. His sunglasses made it impossible for him to see his playlists in the dark office, so he took them off and placed it on his desk. When he found what he was looking for, he put the earphones in and began listening to the Who. Leaning back into his chair, he began to drift off to sleep.

A short while later, the cool air blowing into the room from outside alerted House that somebody entered his office. He knew that only Cuddy or Wilson would dare enter his office when the blinds are closed. He kept his eyes shut, hoping that if it was Cuddy, she would go away. If it was Wilson, he didn't care.

The sudden quiet made House open his eyes. Wilson appeared in front of House and in his hands, he held House's earphones.

"Gimme," House said as he reached over for them.

Wilson rolled his eyes and threw it on the desk. He walked over to the chair he usually occupy and sat down.

Wilson knew that something was wrong with House. The moment that he saw House had closed the blinds, he knew something was amiss. When Wilson pulled the earphones away, he heard the Who. Add those two together, plus House's bloodshot eyes, Wilson knew something was bothering his friend.

He also knows better than to ask. The more you ask House, the more he clams up. So Wilson just sat back, enjoying the silence. It also gave him a place to hide from Cuddy. Wilson internally rolled his eyes. _Great, I'm acting like House,_ he thought.

The two doctors sat there, in darkness and silence, for what seemed to be forever. Finally, House broke the silence when he pulled his earphones off and said, "I saw her yesterday."

Wilson blinked in response. He didn't know what House was talking about. Then everything clicked together in his mind. _Oh, God. Crap is going to start flying now,_ Wilson groaned inside.

"Where?" Wilson asked. He hoped that his expression wouldn't give him away.

"At the park."

_The park? What park? House goes to a park?_ Wilson had all kinds of questions running through his mind, but he only voiced, "Did you talk to her?"

"Yeah." After a short pause, House added, "I met her kids too."

Wilson was still surprised at the fact that House met Cameron that he didn't notice that House said "kids" and not "kid."

House chuckled bitterly and continued, "The real shocker was when she told me that I was --or am-- their father."

Wilson's face expressed astonishment but his wandering eyes gave him away. He couldn't bring himself to look at House in the face.

A moment passed of House examining Wilson's expression. "You don't act very surprised, Wilson," House said without any emotion.

_Uh-oh, trouble's brewing._ "I am!" he replied quickly. His quick response made House even more suspicious. "It just…it…it made me speechless."

Wilson quickly looked away from House's gaze and looked down at his shoes.

"Uh-huh." A moment of silence passed until House said, "Tell me, Wilson, how long have you known that I was a father to twins?"

Wilson's head snapped up. "Twins?" _Twins?_

"Yeah, a boy and a girl. Matt and Alex."

"Really?"

"Don't try to change the subject. How long have you known?"

Wilson shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "A few days before she left," he mumbled. He hurriedly added, "But I didn't know it was twins."

"Ah," was all House said. Wilson braced himself. He knew that House was loading his ammunition. Wilson was right.

A second later, House exploded, "So you knew that I was a father? Why didn't you fucking tell me? How could you do that? You know how I feel about her! And here you are, keeping a secret this big from me after all these years!"

Wilson waited for House to catch his breath before saying something.

"Even if I told you, what would you do?"

House just glared at him, his chest heaving up and down with anger.

"She begged me not to tell you," Wilson said.

"I'm your best friend! Have you forgotten the number one rule? Bros before hoes, man!"

"Just shut up, House! That girl cared for you. She was afraid that if you knew, her children wouldn't get they deserve--"

"What am I, a cannibal? Is she afraid that I'll eat them or something?" House spat.

"No, she was afraid that you would abandon them!" When House didn't answer, Wilson continued. "She thought that it would better for her children to blame her instead of blaming you. She wanted them to know that she left you and that it wasn't their fault why their father aren't in their lives. She left you and that's what she's going to tell them. She saved them the heartache from their father abandoning them."

"She didn't know what I was thinking! How the hell could she have known? She never told me so how can she be so sure that I would act that way?"

House was refusing to let this go. He didn't want to get off light; he may be a bastard, but if he is a father, he will play his role as one.

"She didn't have to tell you for you to know! For God's sakes, House, the entire hospital knew! She spent every morning running off to the bathroom! Being the brilliant diagnostician that you are, I find it impossible for you not figure it out!"

"Well, I didn't!" he replied indignantly.

"Perhaps you would notice it if you focused on anything else besides Stacey. You spent days pining over Stacey. Cameron saw that. She didn't want for you to deal with two babies that you didn't want--"

"How the hell does she know I don't want them?"

"Probably because you never cared for their mother!" Wilson shot back angrily. He was beginning to lose sympathy for his friend. "Think about it, House! You said it yourself that you wouldn't commit to anything. Being a father is a big commitment! You can't just pick up and leave whenever you want to.

She let you escape from the father role. You don't want to be a father. Hell, she's even willing to take the blame for you if they ever ask what happened to their dad! Yes, she did leave you. She did leave you heartbroken. But how in the world could she have known how you feel about her? You treated her like crap, even worse than you do Chase! But she still took it all in without complaint.

Now, you're here, grumbling over how much she left you heartbroken. For one second, Greg, think about her instead of yourself. She was a widow at 21. She went through the pregnancy alone. She's a single mother raising two children. She had no help, except probably from her parents. Yet, she made through it all. You had a girlfriend that left you and an infarction. You complains about it everyday; she doesn't."

The friends glared at one another, daring the other to say something. Finally, House slumped back even further into his chair, shoulders sagging. Signs of defeat.

Wilson decided that House needed a little push in the right direction. "You can sit here and brood about this all you want. I said what I had to say." He stood up to leave.

Wilson opened the door, but before going through it, he stopped. Without turning around, he said, "Go see the kids. They are innocent bystanders that got dragged into this mess. The least you can do is go see them. Five years too late is better than never, Greg."

And with that, he left House sitting there, pondering his next move.

* * *

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Author's Note: What do you think? Wilson's speech was a little long and a little awkward, so I may have to fix that. If you see any mistakes or have any criticism, review! They are always more than welcome!


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